Oil-tank bracing



LE @Y PRESTT OIL TANK BRACYING v Filed June ll, 1928 lllatented `.lumebd. i929.

ITED

lPATEN il# FFICE.

.application tiled .tune lt,

rlhis invention relates to bracing lor oil tanks.

Uil tanks lroni which oil is pumped and dispensed, particularly tormotor vehicle a service, in large measure are ot rectangularparalleiopiped torni having a horizon tal base, parallel vertical sides,similar ends and a horiaontal top. 'llhe area of the sides is large andthe distance between in the sides is relatively short as compa-red tothe arca and distance between the ends and a battery ot the tanks areusually placed close "together, each supplied with its own pump, itbeing necessary to have several oi the tanks is because oi the severaldifferent grades ot oil that are called tor by motor vehicle users.rllanks oi the shape described render it pos sible to economicallyconserve space, which would be wasted with cylindrical tanks orv autanks ot various other shapes.

'.lhe sides ot the tanks being of considere able area andthe tanks alsobeing quite dee when oil is placed within thetanks there 1s a tendencyof the sides to bulge 'outwardly7 at the tanks being constructed of thinsheet instal. This causes the several tanks in the battery to separateat their upper and lower ends with the result that dirt and the likegets into the cracks between the tanks and ao the assembly is unsightly,While in many cases there is dispjute as to the quantity of oil placedin a tank y an oil company, inasmuch as bulging sides act to cause thetank to hold more oil than its standard capacity. The as presentinvention is directed to a very simple,

practical and effective braoin for maintaining the spaced a artarallelsldes of the tank in proper paral el re ation to each other andpreventing bulging outward and thus avoid- 4.o ing all of the troublesrecited.

To this end I have made the invention de- 'ined in the followingdescription, and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fi l illustrates a battery of tanks located et close y together as usedin service.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a tank equipped with the deviceof my invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a tank an substintally on the planeof line SW3 of Fie.

Fig. 4C is a perspective view of one ot the bracing units used in theinvention.

lllid. illerial No. @$4,494.

hike reference characters rater to like parts in the 4dilierent iiguresoit the drawing.

'.lhe tank is inade ot sheet metal having parallel spaced apart verticalsides l, parallel spaced apart vertical ends 2, a horiaontal bottoni 3and a horizontal top lt. Several ot the tanks comprising a batterythereoiE in service are located side by side so that. the sides l oi.contiguous tanks are in direct contact, as shown in liig. l.

rlhe bracing construction which ll have provided tor each tank includestwo horizontal angle bars 5, one located at the inner side oi each sidel oi the tank a short distance above thobottom and Welded to the sidesof the tank Where the vertical tlanges oi" said bars engagetliereagaiust. lThis is fully shown iu llig. 3.

Above the bars 5 and spaced apart in the length oi the tanks are aplurality oi verti cal bracing units. Each of these units comprise twospaced apart vert-ical angle bars 6 connected by horizontal cross bars 7of iiat metal. The bars 6 have two anges or legs G" and 6" located atright angles to each other, the flanges 6 bearing against the innersides of the sides 1 of the tank and being welded or otherwisepermanently fastened thereto,

while the ends of bars 7 are welded or otherwise permanently connectedto the inwardly extending flanges 6, as best shown in Fig. 2. The lowerends of the vertical bars 6 rest against the horizontal flanges of thebars 5 lirst described, as shown in Fig. 3, and said bars 6 extendsubstantially to the upper end of the tank.

The bracin' structure described strengtlr ens and rein orces the sides 1of the tank, holdin@ them rigidly against outward bulging andmaintaining the same in true vertlcal planes irrespective of thequantity of oil which may be 1n a tank. As many of the vertical bracingunits ma be used in a tank as is required. Two of tie same are shown inFig. 2 but it is evident that with different dimensions of tanks alarger or a smaller nunber of the vertical bracing units may be use Thisinvention while of simple character has proved very satisfactory and hassolved the troubles previously encountered in oil tanks of the characterdescribed. The con tiguous sides oli a battery of tanks remain in closecontact throughout their entire surfaces. There is no, bulging withunsightly dirtcollecting cracks between the tanks, and the tanks beingdesigned to contain a stipulated quantity of oil, when said quantity isplaced in a tank the tank is'full thus eliminating all disputes withregard to short measure.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be consideredcomprehensive of all forms of structure coming Within the scope thereof.

I claim:

l. A tank having spaced apart parallel vertical sides and spaced apartvertical ends, the areas of the sides of said tank being greater thanthe areas of said ends, and reinforcing means located within the tankcomprising a vertical bar fixed to the inner side of each side .of thetank and a cross bar connecting the opposite vertical bars.

2. A tank having spaced apart parallel vertical sides, ends and a topand bottom, said sides being ofsheet metal, and reinforcing meanslocated within the tank comprising angle bars having flanges located atright angles to each other, one flange of one of said bars lyingagainst-and permanently secured to the inner side of each side of thetank and the'other flange of each of said bars extending inwardly, and across member connected at its ends to and extending between the inwardlyextending flanges of said angle bars.

3. A tank comprising spaced apart vertical sides, ends, a top andbottom, said sides being of sheet metal and of relatively large areacompared to the area of the ends top or bottom, and a plurality ofbracing units located within the tank and spaced from each other, eachof said units comprising two spaced apart parallel vertical bars and apluralityl o cross bars connecting the vertical bars, said incombination defined in claim 3, said vertical bars of the bracing unitsextending from the upper end of the tank to points located a distanceabove the bottom of the tank, and horizontal bars secured one at theinner side of each side of the tank at the lower ends of the verticalbars of said bracing units.

5.A tank having spaced apart vertical sides, vertical ends andhorizontal top and bottom, said sides of the tank being of sheet metaland of relatively large area compared to the area of the ends, top andbottom, and bracing means located within the tank comprising horizontalangle bars located one against the inner side of each side of the tank,cach comprising a vertical flange lying against the inner side of a sideof the tank and secured thereto, and a horizontal flange extendinginwardly from the adjacent side of the tank, and a plurality of bracingunits within said tank located above said horizontal bars, each unitcomprising two spaced apart vertical angle bars, each having one flangelocated against and permanently secured to the inner side of a side ofthe tank and a second flange extending inwardly from the adjacent sideof the tank, and a plurality of flat bars of metal disposed between andconnected at their ends to the inwardly extending flanges of'saidvertical bars, said vertical bars at their lower ends lying above thehorizontal flanges of the first mentioned angle 'bars and extendingupwardly toward the upper end of the tank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LE ROY A. PRESCOTT.

